FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki said the state government made plans for N70,000 minimum wage three years ago when the telltale signs began to show that the economy was going in the wrong direction.
The governor disclosed this when the editorial board of Tell Magazine presented him with an award for Exceptional Courage in Leadership at the Government House, Benin City.
He said the state made plans for increase in minimum wage when he started raising alarm on the excessive borrowings by the federal government to meet its statutory obligations.
According to him, “We are able to pay N70,000 minimum wage because we planned ahead in the last three years because we knew a day like this would come.
“Thank God that we have been vindicated today, as our sincerity has helped us prevail over every situation. We see prospects for a better economy and transparent government in Edo State because of the institutional reforms we introduced to better manage the state.
“We have always prevailed because the majority of Edo people understand, appreciate and endorse what our government has done. This is the reason for the courage with which we tackled problems that we faced along the way.
“For the next few months left for our administration, we will finish strong. We will finish all that we started. This week, I will set up my transition team that will aggregate and document for the next administration all our achievements, projects and undertakings,” the governor said.
